Tangled
by drcjsnider
Summary: When Rose approaches her boyfriend's father, Draco Malfoy, to try and get him to accept her and Scorpius' relationship, she becomes tangled in a web of betrayal and deceit that ruins all of her plans.


**Title:** Tangled  
**Rating:** R  
**Word Count:** 5891  
**Pairing(s):** Rose/Scorpius Rose/Draco  
**Warnings:** Language, Violence, Dub-Con, Character Deaths  
**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**Summary:** When Rose approaches her boyfriend's father, Draco Malfoy, to try and get him to accept her and Scorpius' relationship, she becomes tangled in a web of betrayal and deceit that ruins all of her plans.  
**Author's Notes:** Written for the nextgendark fest - Prompt 127: "I expected it to be bigger." by **luvscharlie**. I had a really hard time making this dark, but got inspired thanks to **the_birdnest** and **queenb23more** and Buffy from Season 4 – episode 'Who Are You.' Thanks to both **queenb23more** and **the_birdnest** for betaing the story. Any and all remaining flaws are my fault.

"Marry me."

Rose gasped, pushed Scorpius off of her, and straightened her clothes as she sat up. "I don't believe you."

Scorpius sat up, too, his eyes searching Rose's face.

"You're upset? Bloody hell, Rose, most girls think it's a compliment, not an insult to receive a marriage proposal."

"Most girls are satisfied growing up in respectable middle-class prosperity. I, however, am not like most girls."

"We are not going to fight about money again."

"Agreed," Rose replied. "No fighting. You know that I plan on marrying a wealthy man, so no more discussion about marriage until you are wealthy."

"I am wealthy," Scorpius protested. "Or at least I will be some day."

Rose rolled her eyes and stood up. "That isn't good enough. You won't inherit until your father dies and that could take a hundred or more years for that to happen. I'm not prepared to struggle along until that time."

"Why do you care about money so much anyway? It isn't like you've grown up in the lap of luxury."

"That is _so_ not the point. I want to live in the lap of luxury _now_. Ever since Lily married that Quidditch star, and James got that job in Muggle movies, and Hugo was promoted to senior assistant to the vice-president of Gringotts, I've felt like a poor relation. I'm sick of it. I want the nice clothes, and the fancy houses, and the expensive vacations. I want to be able to walk into _Madam Neuvorish's Designer Wear_ and pick anything off the rack without worrying about the price. I want my friends to all be jealous of my posh jewelry and fashionable hair styles. I am sick of being average."

"Merlin, Rose. I swear that you care more about money than you do about me."

"Of course I do, sweetheart." She smiled, but it didn't take the string out of her words. "Still if I could be rich _and_ have you that would be the best of all worlds."

"Well, no chance of that happening," Scorpius complained before falling back on her bed. "My father is determined not to give me any money until I prove myself able to handle it."

"What does that mean?"

"I need to start a career and settle down with a nice girl."

"How much do you get if you settle down?" Rose asked, looking interested in the conversation for the first time.

"A _nice_ girl, Rose. He's told me a dozen times that you are not good for me. He wants me to be with some pure-blood princess like Charlotte Goyle or Amara Zabini."

"That is just what the Malfoy family needs, another generation of inbreeding. Doesn't anyone in your family worry about passing on your pathetically weak genes? I swear if you marry Goyle your kids will end up being albinos."

Scorpius frowned. "Maybe you should speak to Father. Whenever he starts going at me, I either become enraged or fall into a stupor where I just pray that he will stop talking. He might listen to you. Heaven knows you aren't common in the way that he fears. If you could meet him and show him that you aren't your mother or father or worse some mongrel offspring that combines the worst of their qualities, he might change his mind and give my inheritance now. Then we could be married."

Rose sighed. It wasn't supposed to be _her_ problem. It was Scorpius' problem. A big part of wanting to have money was to be free of life's concerns. This was a concern... a huge fucking concern. She looked at Scorpius and tried to decide whether or not he was worth it. Sure he was handsome, and sexy, and great in bed, and had just the kind of personality she found easiest to manipulate, but talking to Draco Malfoy was going to be an exercise in futility. She couldn't imagine him suddenly changing his mind because she made some sort of appeal about true love. At the same time, if she didn't talk to him and she and Scorpius ended their relationship, it would probably take at least a year to find another wealthy man and wring a marriage proposal out of him. _Why did everything have to be so complicated?_

She needed a plan, a back-up for when Malfoy told her to sod off. Something that would convince him that opening up the Malfoy vaults to her and Scorpius was the smart thing to do.

0-0-0

Rose dressed with care for her meeting with Draco. She wore what would have been a modest suit if it didn't include a skirt that stopped a good five inches above her knees and wasn't a deep blood red color. The outfit should have clashed horribly with her hair, but she'd worn it with a black low-cut blouse that made the entire effect so eye-catching that it was hard to imagine her looking better in any other shade. She kept her heels short. She didn't want to tower over Scorpius' dad. Men got defensive around tall women. She also kept her make-up muted. Although her eyes were dramatic with lots of mascara on her lashes, her lipstick was subdued. All in all, she thought she'd make a favorable impression. What she hadn't been prepared for, however, was just how well-preserved Draco Malfoy looked. His features were thin and a bit pointed. Like his son's, his body was trim, and although his hair was thinning, his demeanor had a strength and hardness that Scorpius' lacked. Frankly, Rose found it all a bit of a turn-on.

She watched as Malfoy's eyes traveled from her face down the front of her body. He admired her generous chest, her tiny waist, and her long legs. As his gaze lazily made its way back up, Rose found herself wanting to blush in a way she hadn't since before she'd lost her virginity to Cameron Longbottom in fifth year. The sardonic look on Malfoy's face when he once again met her eyes suggested that whatever he didn't like about her had nothing to do with her figure. Clenching her teeth slightly, Rose shook out her hair, discreetly thrusht her shoulders back, and plastered her best shit-eating grin across her mouth.

"Mr. Malfoy. It is a pleasure to meet you at last."

"Is it?" he drawled.

"Of course. Scorpius speaks of you often and I couldn't help but be curious."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is it only my son you've heard speak of me?"

Rose wondered exactly what he wanted to hear. Most men liked to have their egos stroked so she decided to pursue that tactic. "Well, of course I've read about you, too. Youngest wizard to serve as a Hogwarts governor, honored in _Wizarding World Magazine_ as greatest philanthropist two years in a row, and just last year you made _Playwitch Weekly's_ List for Most Eligible Bachelors."

"Come now, Rose. That is information anyone could have. Don't you know more about me than that?"

Rose blinked rapidly. Perhaps he wanted to hear about what her parents and her extended family had said about him. He surely knew that it wouldn't be good. She could lie and say that her family did not speak about him – that they had put the past behind them long ago – or she could tell the truth. Unfortunately, the unvarnished truth was harsh, unattractive, and rude. Rose was a good liar, but something told her not to try it with Draco.

"Well, my father thinks you are a fucking hypocrite who bought himself back into society's good graces. Mum thinks that even if you are sincere, which she doubts, you have a long way to go before you can ever make up for the evil you did in the past. My Uncle Harry just says that although you are a pouncy wanker, it's okay because at least you aren't carrying out the dictates of a madman any longer."

Draco grinned or grimaced or something, Rose wasn't really sure. "Nice to know some things never change."

Rose shrugged. "I've never been swayed by their views. I take what they think, add it to my own impressions, and come up with a new understanding."

"So what do you think of me?"

"Too early to tell. Besides, what matters is not what I think of you, but what I think of Scorpius. And you can be assured that I don't hold your actions either in the present or the past against Scorpius. I love him. My family adores him, too. Well, mostly... Hugo thinks he needs more of backbone and I think Al has a crush on him, but my parents, uncles, and aunts think he's good for me. Keeps me 'human' or something."

"Well, if my mind was agitated by the thought of Scorpius not fitting in with the Weasley and Potter horde, I would undoubtedly now be revealed. But somehow I don't think you requested this meeting to let me know your family's view of Scorpius."

Rose shook her head. _Merlin, he was a prat._ This must be why Scorpius was always bitching about him. Still, Rose had nerves of steel and it would take much more than Draco Malfoy's snark to drive her away. "No, that's not why I'm here. I came here to get your permission."

He raised his eyebrow again and just waited.

Rose actually appreciated his attempt to discompose her; she'd used it herself on those she considered to be wastes of time and space. Obviously, Malfoy was in no mood to be flattered or charmed. She took the direct approach. "Scorpius has asked me to marry me."

"How curious. Isn't it customary for the newly engaged couple to inform their parents together about the upcoming happy occasion?"

"We aren't engaged, yet."

A quick glimpse of relief crossed his face. "Really? And why is that? Worried your parents are going to refuse? Concerned that the news will give your grandmother a stroke?"

Rose laughed, feeling for the first time to be in a position of power. Draco Malfoy blaming the Weasleys rather than himself for blocking a relationship between her and Scorpius was very telling. "Scorpius hasn't told you much about me, has he?"

"I've asked him not to. Hearing about the Weasleys, any of you, tends to give me indigestion."

Rose smiled. "I adore him you know, but I'd hate to come between the two of you."

"My relationship with my son isn't the sort that could easily be ruined by a fling or indiscretion, no matter how disastrous."

"Is that what I would be?" Rose asked, cocking her head slightly. "A fling?"

"Scorpius has a duty to the family name, one that you, fortunately, cannot help him fulfill."

"And what exactly is Scorpius' duty?" Rose asked, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

"To marry and give birth to a pure-blood heir."

"Sounds like a pretty stupid duty."

"Undoubtedly it does to someone of your background and social standing. The bourgeois are hopelessly unaware of the importance of marriage bonds."

Rose rolled her eyes, no longer able to conceal her frustration. "You don't give a shit about the benefits of marriage bonds. Hell, Scorpius couldn't do any better than marry me as far as acquiring an influential and powerful family." She paused for a moment in thought. "Well, perhaps if Lily wasn't married that might be better – the only daughter of Harry Potter and all that."

"I would hardly be anxious for that to happen either."

"Of course not," Rose huffed, "because what you are interested in isn't connections at all, but blood status. Need to carry on the production of the 'master race' and all that."

Draco smiled at her. "I see you got your intelligence from you mother rather than your father. How fortunate. To bad you didn't get _his_ hair."

"There is nothing you can do to stop me from marrying him. Scorpius is completely in love with me and will do whatever I wish."

Draco shrugged a shoulder, but Rose suspected he wasn't as nonchalant as he was acting. "So marry him. Of course, if you do so, he won't see a Knut of his inheritance as long as I'm still breathing."

"What make you think I care?"

"If you don't care, why are you here?"

"I told you, I don't like the idea of coming in between you and Scorpius."

Draco laughed. "I hope you don't expect me to believe any of that poppycock."

"Well, I do love him, so marrying him wouldn't be a horrible hardship even without the money."

"Sounds dreadful to me."

It sounded dreadful to Rose, too. "If you insist on ruining my plans by refusing to give Scorpius what is rightfully his just because he hasn't married the person you approve of, maybe I will find some joy in ruining your plans by marrying him and destroying your desire for a pure-blooded grandchild."

"So you would rather we both be miserable?"

"Better than just me being miserable," Rose pointed out.

"But you wouldn't have to be miserable, my dear. You are a genuinely attractive girl, although I have no clue how that happened. There is no reason for you to continue to dangle after Scorpius. You could just as easily dangle after some other wealthy sod. There are tons of us around, I assure you."

"But that could take years!" Rose pointed out. "I don't like the idea of pinching and saving, falling into debt, or being inconvenienced while you get everything you want immediately. It's horribly unfair."

"I suppose I could make you an allowance until you married," Draco stated calmly, watching Rose's reaction closely.

Her face was impassive, but her eyes took on an even more calculating look than they had when she'd arrived at the manor. "What would be the terms of this arrangement?" she asked.

"In exchange for you not seeing Scorpius, I would pay you fifty Galleons every four months until you marry."

"Why should I have to leave Scorpius alone? He's a good shag. You should pay me as long as I don't marry him."

"Impossible. If he continues to run around with you, he'll never find a sweet, young, pure-blooded woman to marry."

Rose suppressed a chuckle. "You are crazy if you think he's ever going to get married or even date another girl as long as I'm single. Hell, even if I refused to see him, he'd probably sit in the cafe across from my flat waiting to catch glimpses of me. Until I'm in some rich man's marital dungeon with a magical ball and chain around my leg, he's going to assume he still has a chance."

Draco wanted to sneer at her and claim that his son would never allow a Weasley to trample over his pride and heart, but he knew better. The boy was besotted and not at all strong-willed. Draco wasn't surprised that Scorpius had fallen for someone like Rose – someone who undoubtedly protected him from all of life's unpleasantness. She probably would have been perfect for him if it wasn't for her blood status. That, however, was non-negotiable. Draco needed to remove Rose from the picture immediately. Perhaps then Scorpius would allow himself to be led by his father rather than by his dick.

"I could arrange for you to meet some of my friends."

"Ugh... I'm not a whore, Malfoy. I'm not going to sell my body to just any aging pure-blood who wants to have a go with a Weasley. Besides it still doesn't solve the inconvenience factor."

Draco was silent for several seconds while his eyes traveled the length of Rose's body again. "What if I have a wealthy man who is immediately available to become your husband?"

"What's wrong with him? Does he have a humped back or one leg slightly shorter than the other?"

"Nothing is wrong with him, except perhaps that he loves his son a little too much."

"What?"

"It's me. Marry me."

"Impossible! You don't think I'm worthy of your son. There is no way you can think me worthy of you!"

"I do not labor under the same restrictions as Scorpius. I have already produced a pure-blood heir."

"We don't even know each other!" Rose said in mortification.

"Immaterial. You are not unattractive. You dress well. Your body is first rate. Your hair is a bit of problem, but one visit to my hair stylist should set it to rights. Besides you do have connections that can benefit me."

"Scorpius will hate you."

"No, sweetheart, he'll hate us. But I'm willing to deal with that as long as he is safe from you."

"If I agree with this plan, what do I get out of it?"

"My money. You can live off of it now and for as long as we remain together."

"That's it? I marry you and get to use your money. There are no other conditions?"

"Of course there are other conditions," Draco said smoothly. "I want normal marital rights in terms of sex, honor, and fidelity. There will be no sexual relations for you outside of the marriage."

"But there will be for you?"

"I don't plan on it. After all, I find your body exceptional. I'm certain it will be years before I'm tired of it."

"Not good enough. If you fuck around, then I get to fuck around."

Draco shook his head, but answered in the affirmative. "Fine."

"And what about the 'honor' nonsense?"

"I expect deference and affection in public. If you can't completely cut out the snark, you'll at least restrain it to being used only when we are alone."

"What do I get in exchange?"

"In exchange, I'll treat you with the respect and consideration that the wife of a Malfoy should always be treated."

"All the time?"

"Like you... I'm certain I'll slip in private, but in public you can be assured of my complete adoration."

Rose bit her lip. She didn't like this. Well that wasn't completely true. She liked some of it. She liked the idea of being married to a wealthy wizard. And for being her parents' age, Draco Malfoy certainly wasn't hard on the eyes. Still, it did make her feel a bit tawdry and Scorpius would never understand. "You're very smart."

"Why's that?"

"You've picked the one thing Scorpius might never forgive me for."

"That is an added benefit," Draco smirked

"My family won't accept it."

Draco shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Rose thought hard and finally shook her head. Her family would be furious. Not only did they like Scorpius, but the idea of her with Draco would drive them mental. It was a risk, but in the end they probably wouldn't completely cut her out of their lives. They would, however, insist that she didn't bring Draco to family events. This would be more than fine with her.

"Okay. When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as we can get the marriage contract written."

"I have to tell Scorpius."

"Tell him and I'll start making the arrangements."

0-0-0

"I'm going to marry your father."

"What?"

"Your father asked me to marry him."

"The bastard!" Scorpius exclaimed angrily. "I can't believe I didn't see this coming. Well, of course I didn't. You are hardly like the lot of middle-aged, well-preserved socialites he typically dates. He is doing this just to keep me from you, you realize that?"

"Of course I realize it. I hardly think that he would be interested in me without an ulterior motive."

"How could you agree, Rose?"

"It isn't that bad. This way we will at least still get to see each other. If I had to start dating and trying to woo someone else, there couldn't be any you and me."

"There isn't going to be any you and me now!" Scorpius exclaimed. "If you think my father isn't going to put a number of charms and hexes on you to ensure your fidelity, you are crazy."

"Well, I didn't mean we could be together sexually. But we could still be close."

"Why the fuck would I want that? Why would I want to be close with the woman who would rather have money than me? Why would I want to be close with the girl who threw me aside so she could shag my father?"

Rose stepped close to him and ran her hands down the front of his shirt. "Because you love me?"

Scorpius didn't move; he just stood frozen as Rose leaned against him. "It won't be forever. After I marry him, he might even give you your inheritance. If that happened, I could leave him and be with you."

She felt him shudder as his arms moved around her waist and he hugged her tightly. "You're a nutter. I will never take you back."

Before she could reply, he was kissing her, digging his hands into her hair, and driving his tongue into her mouth. Within seconds, she was undressing him, tearing off his robe, pulling at his shirt, unbuttoning his trousers. Soon they were on the floor and he was inside of her. She wrapped her legs around him and scratched her nails down his back. Their moans and curses were louder and more coarse than usual. Their desire and craving for each other, however, was just as intense and powerful as the first time they'd fucked.

And when it was over and he had collapsed beside her, Scorpius begged and pleaded for her not to do it.

"I don't see why you are laying this all on me." Rose sniffed, sitting up, and wrestling her shirt on over her head. "This isn't my first choice for what I want my life to be like."

Scorpius closed his eyes briefly as if in pain, then grabbed his clothing, and stood. "Good-bye Rose."

0-0-0

Rose's marriage to Draco had caused a tremendous scandal. Even if he hadn't been a former Death Eater and she the daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley, there would have been a lot of press. He was a well-connected, wealthy, middle-aged man, who was part of a long line of pure-blood wizards. She was a twenty year-old, sexy witch, with no visible outstanding qualities, whose mother was Muggle-born. The press couldn't get enough of their story. The _Prophet_ attempted to interview everyone with even the smallest connection to the couple. Draco's old Hogwarts girlfriends, Rose's Astronomy professor, a former vice-president of development at Malfoy Industries, and Rose's manicurist – they all provided 'insight' into the unusual relationship.

Rose had loved the publicity. There was something satisfying about having your itinerary printed in the papers and your every word reported by the press. It had also given her a reason to buy tons of new and expensive clothing, to hire a full time dresser, and to bring in security personnel to redesign the wards at Malfoy Manor. Even two months after the wedding, although most of the publicity had died down, Rose was still instantly recognized among much of the wizarding population. There was no where in magical London she couldn't go, no where she wasn't welcome, and no where she couldn't get what she wanted simply by asking it for it.

Of course, not everything about the marriage had been wonderful. She found sex with Draco singularly uninspiring. He did not have Scorpius' toned body or physical stamina. There were more evenings then she could count where he'd start off on top, but get winded and roll over onto his back for her to finish him off. He also liked to fuck in the morning which Rose despised. His breath was always stale and his morning erections were sticky and a bit soft.

In addition, there was something not quite right about the Malfoy's vault in Gringotts. Although there was a considerable number of Galleons in it, she'd expected it to be bigger. It was just closet-sized. She'd hoped it would be the size of a pantry or maybe even as big as a child's bedroom. She suspected there was another Malfoy family fortune hidden away some place to which she didn't have access.

Making matters even worse was that Scorpius hadn't moved out of the manor. He kept his room that was just down the hall from the suite she shared with Draco. He also made it a point to parade attractive, scantily-clad, pure-blood girls through the corridors at all hours of the night. It was pure revenge on his part and it was driving her mental. She wanted to rip the heads off their pert little bodies and leave their decaying corpses stacked in the formal garden.

Rose suspected that Scorpius would have a new girl at the dinner table tonight. Undoubtedly, she'd be blonde, petite, and doe-eyed – all the things that Rose definitely was not. She'd just decided to wear a black halter dress to dinner to remind Scorpius of what he was missing when Draco strode into bedroom.

"Get undressed."

"What?"

"Take your clothes off."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to fuck you."

Rose turned from the closet to stare at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? It isn't like you to be so foul-mouthed."

He walked toward her. "Is it like me to grab you by the hair, push you to your knees and force you to give me a knob job?"

Her eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. "You know it's not."

"Should have known that pissy queen didn't have it in him."

Before Rose could react, Draco had grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her to ground. She stared up at him trying to figure out what was going on as he shoved down his trousers and pulled his cock from his pants.

"Open up, Red."

Rose wanted to push him away and hex him, but the damn marriage contract made it nearly impossible for her to refuse a wide range of 'wifely duties'. So instead she sucked, and licked, and fondled him, as he roughly fucked her mouth. She was considering tightening her grip on his bollocks until he eased up, when he took the matter out of her hands by grunting and coming while still thrusting between her lips. She wanted to gag.

"Maybe Malfoy doesn't have shit for brains, after all," Draco muttered as he stepped back and pulled up his pants.

Rose stood. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Get cleaned up and I'll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

He frowned at her. "The library. Now shut the fuck up and put on something sexy."

Rose wanted to throw a shoe… or a nightstand at the back of his head as he left the room. Something was really off. Draco was never so rude and vulgar. He usually relied on sarcasm and mockery to express his disdain. Determined to figure out what was going on, Rose cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and followed him into the library.

She was startled to see Greg Goyle sitting behind Draco's desk.

"What did you think?" Greg asked.

"Your wife gives great head," Draco replied.

"I can't believe you doubted me. I thought you were going to bang her though?"

"Yeah, well... I can't ever get Pansy to go down."

"That's because your marriage contract is shit."

Draco looked offended. "Look's who's talking. You can't even fuck other women thanks to your contract."

"That was before this," Greg replied holding up a red stone is his palm. "Now I can shag whoever I want."

"If you can find someone willing to let you use their body," Draco replied.

Greg shrugged. "I found you, didn't I? Besides, it seems like a fair trade. They get to have sex with my wife and I get to borrow their body for a bit of my own licentious behavior."

Draco laughed and shook his head. "Let's change back. If I'm not home by dinner, Pansy will nag me about it all evening long."

Rose watched as Greg stood and then clasped the hand holding the stone with one of Draco's hands. A blinding flash filled the room causing Draco and Goyle to stagger backwards several feet.

"Fuck, that hurts like a son-of-a-bitch," Greg complained.

Draco shook out his hand. "So, we'll do it again tomorrow at 4:30?"

"Will that give you enough time to get in your secretary's knickers?"

"Of course. And you can have another go with Rose."

Greg grinned widely. "Sounds good, mate. I'll see you tomorrow."

As Goyle disappeared into the Floo, Rose felt like she was going to be ill. Draco had found some way to switch bodies with his friend and then pointed him in direction of their bedroom. He was such a sick fuck! She'd be damned if he got a chance to do it again tomorrow. She removed the Disillusionment Charm and hissed at Draco through her teeth, "You bloody bastard! I despise your pathetic, lying, cowardly guts!"

Draco's eyes widen in surprise. "What did you hear?"

"I heard all of it. I heard how you switched bodies with Greg Goyle. I heard how you encouraged him to fuck me. I heard how you are planning on doing it again tomorrow. You're a piss poor excuse for a man."

"Why are your knickers in a twist? It isn't like you wouldn't have jumped at the chance to do the same thing if you'd thought of it first."

"You're a worthless piece of gutter trash. I am nothing like you. I would never abuse anyone's trust that way."

"Get over yourself, Rose. The way you killed Scorpius' faith in you was a lot worse than whatever I may have done. He loved you. That's hardly the case with us."

In that moment Rose hated Draco with an intensity that blinded her to the honesty of his words. "Give me the stone," she demanded.

"Bugger off."

"Give it to me. I'm not joking. You are not using it again."

"I'll do whatever I want. If you insist, I'll leave you out of it in the future. However, I'm not giving up the benefits of switching bodies just because you disapprove."

"We'll see about that," Rose spat and launched herself at him.

Draco tried to push her away. He held the stone above his head as she clutched at his arm and clawed at his neck.

Infuriated beyond reason, Rose dug her nails into the side of his face.

"You bitch," he exclaimed, staggering backward.

She ignored his insult and dove for the stone. She missed it, but clasped his hand releasing a bright explosion of light. A searing pain traveled up her arm and into her chest where it felt like something important was being ripped out of her. She stumbled briefly. When she finally straightened up, she realized that something was different – she was taller, stronger, and tougher. She'd changed bodies with Draco.

"You stupid, bint! Give me your hand so we can change back now."

"No," Rose drawled, using her newly acquired face muscles to arch an eyebrow. "I think we'll come to an understanding first. I'll give you back your body after we've reached an unbreakable arrangement."

"Like hell," Draco replied from within Rose's body. He tried to step forward, but stumbled in her heels and fell, knocking his chin against the mahogany desk. He landed face down on the rug.

"Hey watch it, Malfoy. My body bruises easily."

When her body didn't move, Rose pushed the tip of Draco's size nine shoe into her side. "Are you alright?"

"Accio stone."

Before Rose could tighten her grip, the stone was ripped out of her hand. "Fuck," she muttered falling to her knees to struggle with Draco for control. They rolled across the room, knocking over the coffee table, and destroying a lamp. Rose finally used the superior strength of Draco's body to pin him under her. As she drew back Draco's hand to knock him out, he suddenly clasped the stone between both of Rose's palms.

A deafening bang rent the air and what appeared to be a lightening bolt blew Draco and Rose apart. Rose struggled to her feet, still inhabiting Draco's body. On the ground in front of the windows was her body. It was covered in blood, a large smoking hole in its chest, and its hands burned away.

"Draco!" she screamed scrambling forward. She lifted her body by the shoulders and shook it, but there was nothing she could do. Draco was dead, Rose's body was destroyed, and the stone was gone. Rose was trapped in her husband's form.

The door to the library slammed open. "Are you alright?" Scorpius nearly yelled as he rushed inside.

"Scorpius," Rose whispered in Draco's voice.

"What happened? Is that Rose? Oh sweet Merlin, what have you done?"

Rose stood. "No, you don't understand."

Scorpius rushed forward trying to reach the body. Rose grabbed him by the shoulders, smearing blood across this shirt. "You can't do anything. It's too late. There was this stone. It caused an explosion."

"Shut the fuck up, Dad," Scorpius said. He roughly pushed Rose away before kneeling beside the body. "Wasn't it enough that you took her away from me? How could you kill her? I loved her!"

"Scorpius, it's me. I'm Rose. I'm not dead."

"Shut the bloody fuck up!" Scorpius raged, drawing his wand and casting a Silencing Charm on her.

Rose watched as he bent over her lifeless body, his fingers brushing against her cheek, his lips kissing her forehead. "It will be alright, Rose. It will be alright. I never hated you. I was just jealous. We could have worked everything out. I promise."

Rose cast a wordless _Finite Incantatem_ to remove the silencing spell and stepped behind Scorpius. She ran her hand along the back of his head. "Everything is gong to be fine," she whispered. "I love you. We'll figure it all out."

Scorpius jerked away from her touch and rose jerkily to his feet. "Nothing is going to be fine ever again," he spat.

Rose opened to mouth to protest, when a left hook from Scorpius connected to the right side of Draco's face sending her stumbling backwards. Rose flailed Draco's arms to keep from falling down. Before she could regain her balance, however, Scorpius hit her in the stomach. She doubled over in pain.

"You sodding git!" Scorpius growled out before landing an uppercut on Draco's jaw causing Rose to collapse on the ground. "Why do you have to ruin everything you touch? Why do have you have to destroy the things I love?"

She tried to draw a deep breath, but within seconds Scorpius was on top of her, his fists hitting Draco's face. It was all blinding pain, throbbing cuts, and oozing blood. Rose felt a tooth get knocked out, a rib crack, and the back of her head break open.

"You miserable arsehole!" Scorpius howled. "You killed her. You took away the only woman I ever loved."

The edges of the world began to turn black. Rose tried to tell Scorpius she was sorry – that she'd been stupid - but all that came out of her mouth were whimpers and gasps for air. As consciousness slipped away, the last thing she felt were Scorpius' tears falling onto his father's face.

The End


End file.
